The Concept Of
by Mystrothedefender
Summary: There are unfortunately many things that the Tick does not fully understand, luckily he now has a friend to help him.
1. Chapter 1

**I am in love with the Tick series and everything surrounding it, so I've written this.**

Arthur lay in bed, unable to sleep, staring at the wall, the ceiling, the other wall… Thoughts were buzzing through his head, he tried to remember if he'd had coffee at any point in the evening but he was pretty sure he hadn't. It sure felt like he had.

He forced his eyes closed and focussed on sleep. Was that what you were meant to do? Maybe he should let his mind wander? Try not to focus? Count sheep?

Nothing helped.

He didn't often find it hard to sleep anymore, even less so since he'd started helping out Tick, he'd come home exhausted and he'd be out before his head hit the pillow.

He used to find it hard to sleep, back when he was a kid.

What used to help him then? It was so long ago it was hard to remember.

Milk. The thought struck him. His mother used to give him warm milk to help him drift off.

He looked at the clock before getting up, it was almost 1:30, he'd have to be careful on his way through the house or he'd risk waking Tick, although he was a heavy sleeper Arthur didn't want to risk it.

Slowly he stepped through the house, looking through to the livingroom where Tick slept from the kitchen.

Arthur paused to look at Tick, watch him sleep for a moment and assess how deep he was into sleep.

Tick snored, loudly, he sounded like a chainsaw meeting a tree, and Arthur decided he probably had nothing to worry about; if that noise didn't wake him then Arthur ambling around the kitchen would do nothing, but he'd warm his milk on the stove, in case the beeping of the microwave was too sharp.

It had been almost two months since Arthur had first asked Tick to stay with him, recently he'd realised that Tick didn't plan on leaving and he'd decided to invest in a sofa bed so Tick could be a little more comfortable. Tick had been amazed by the concept.

Arthur pulled a bottle of milk from the fridge and retrieved a small milk pan from the cupboard, trying his hardest to not bang the pots and pans together as he got it out, his heart rate increased for a moment and then settled back down as he put said pot on the stove.

He poured the milk out and turned the heat up, looking back towards where the Tick slept, keeping tabs on his every twitch and breath.

Arthur's life had changed so much recently and all due to that man, he had so many friends now, more than he'd ever had before. He could run into old acquaintances and have more to tell them than just 'Yeah, I'm doing ok' while questioning in his head if that were true. He was happy now, he was proud of what he was doing, and he loved it, it was terrifying and tiring but he loved it. He was living a proactive life where he actually made a difference, he helped helped people, he wouldn't dream of going back to 'normal'.

He felt a swell in his chest, moving closer to the kitchen so he could see Tick clearly, listening again to his snoring, there was something grounding about the low noise, it was making him feel a little more tired.

A soft breath left him as he looked back to his milk, stirring it with a spoon and taking it off the heat. He poured the liquid into his favourite mug and walked towards the living room with it, leaning against the doorframe and continuing to look down at Tick. Maybe he should tell him?

Maybe he should tell Tick about how much he'd improved his life, how much happier he was with him, how much better everything was in general.

Or would that be redundant? Surely Tick could tell Arthur was happier? That he was a better with Tick than without him?

He lifted the drink to his lips as he debated in his head, but found the thoughts sliced in half by the hot milk searing his tongue.

He let out a scream, spitting the mouthful of liquid onto the floor, his hands shaking from the sudden pain and tears springing to his eyes. He hurriedly put the cup down on the surface closest to him and sprinted the few steps to the sink, turning it on full blast and holding his mouth under the faucet.

He let out a small annoyed whine as the cold water filled and left his mouth; now he was more awake than ever, and he wouldn't be able to taste anything for a week.

"Damnit," he said into the stream of water, his words garbled and pointless.

"What's with the screaming?" Ticks voice came from behind him.

Arthur felt himself tense a little, cursing himself in his head, how stupid he was. He held up a finger to indicate he needed a moment.

Tick let out a small grunt of understanding, and Arthur could hear him moving around behind him.

"Oh, you made warm milk?" Tick asked, "Were you having trouble sleeping Arthur?"

Arthur frowned and pulled himself away from the tap, turning it off. "Uh, yeah," he said quietly, speaking painful for him now. "I burned my mouth." Arthur turned to look at Tick, his mouth lulling open and a breath leaving him at the sight of him downing the drink.

Tick let out a small hum as he finished the milk, nodding as he put down the cut and licked his lips, "It is a little warm."

"Tick," Arthur whined, "I made that for myself."

"It caused you pain, Arthur, I needed to deal with it," Tick joked, smiling.

Arthur shook his head, "...I guess I can make more."

"And make one for me too would you? It was very good."

Arthur huffed and nodded, turning to pour out some more milk, turning the heat back on, but not so high this time.

"So what's keeping you up this evening, Arthur?" Tick asked, crossing his arms, "Is there some evil that's gotten you cogs turning too fast?"

"No," Arthur shook his head, frowning, "...I don't know actually. My head's just buzzing, like I've had too much coffee or… someone injected bees directly into my skull," he let out a soft chuckle.

Tick's antenna twitched as he shifted on his feet, looking Arthur up and down, "That doesn't sound healthy, who would do that..?"

"It… it was a joke," Arthur said, waving his hand dismissively, "It doesn't matter anyway, warm milk'll help."

Tick nodded, squinting a little, "Ok, so milk dispurses the head-bees?" he smiled and chuckled, "I always learn new things around you Arthur."

Arthur nodded, looking down at the milk, he felt a small knot in his stomach as he planned out what he wanted to say in his head, "Uh, Tick..?"

"Yes, chum?" Tick replied quickly, his smile brightening his face.

"I uh, I just wanted to say thank you."

Tick paused, looking around and bobbing on his feet a little, obviously trying to determine where this was going, "What for?"

"For uh," Arthur lifted a hand to scratch his neck absently, his eyes fixing again on the pan of milk, "Well, I've been a lot happier uh, since you came into my life, and uh…" he bit his lip, moving away to pour the milk into a couple of mugs, "I love my life now, I really do," he let out a small breath and turned to hand Tick his milk, "I just wanted to say thank you. For this, for everything."

Tick took his mug and sipped his milk, smiling brightly still, "That's no problem Arthur, it was destiny that brought us together, you should be thanking her!" he chuckled softly, "I'm happy with you too Arthur, you're a smart man and you care about so many things and you also have a sofa that is secretly a bed. You have an amazing life and I'm happy to be part of it."

Arthur felt himself smile into his drink, he nodded, "Good, good… I'm glad you're happy here, Tick."

"As am I, chum!" Tick grinned down at him, "... Now that we've finished our drinks would you like to try going back to sleep? Your brilliant mind needs it's rest."

Arthur nodded, "Y-yeah, that's probably a good idea." He put his mug in the sink, smiling to himself, "Night Tick."

"Good night, Arthur."

Tick took the few steps back to his bed, Arthur stood smiling for a moment before beginning back towards his own room, feeling a little better about himself. He felt as if some strange weight had been lifted from him having had that conversation, as brief as it was. He lay back in bed with a warm feeling in his stomach and chest, he told himself it was caused by the milk, but found himself searching for the sound of Tick's snoring as he found a comfortable place in bed.

 **There is more to come. please leave a review.**


	2. Chapter 2

The Tick was an interesting force in Arthur's life. He was always there to combat the negative thoughts in Arthur's head. Arthur found himself smiling more often now. Since that night he'd first said he was happy he'd started trying to be more open with his emotions, it was working, it was nice, saying he was happy made him happier.

Arthur pulled off his helmet as they walked back into the apartment. He stretched a little and let Tick pass him. Patrol usually made him very tired but today had been so quiet.

They had ended up sitting on the roof, watching out for crime. He had felt happy doing something that simple.

"Would you like a drink, Arthur?" Tick said with a smile as he walked into the living room, pulling a caprisun from seemingly nowhere and holding it out for him.

Arthur looked between him and the drink, "Tick… Where did you get those?"

"Our fridge, of course," Tick smiled, shaking his hand a little, urging him to take the drink. "They're good, have you tried them?"

Arthur let out a small huff and took the drink, "Of course I have, that's-that's why I buy them…"

He leant against the wall, looking over at Tick and piercing the packaging of the caprisun with the straw, taking a long sip. "Where was everyone tonight?"

"The city was unusually quiet," Tick mused, his antenna flicking as he sat down on the sofa, "Maybe they're all watching that baking show your sister likes so much."

Arthur chuckled, "Yeah, maybe… We should put that on and see what happened." He let out a sigh, he had been happy to sit and relax a little, he'd still felt like he was doing something, standing out in plain sight, it may still deter something.

Tick let out a loud breath, echoing Arthur's sigh, "I wish something would have happened, I was bored."

Arthur frowned, "It's not boring… I…" he shifted on his feet, "I loved it."

"Loved what?" Tick said loudly, looking round, "We didn't _do_ anything, that's why I was bored."

Arthur raised a hand to calm Tick, "I-I mean… that's exactly what I mean, I love doing nothing with you." he smiled weakly, "We've gone on patrol, we've helped a couple of people, and we got to sit and relax together and do nothing for a bit. It's nice y'know..?"

Tick paused, nodding softly, thinking about what Arthur had said. "It is..?"

"There's nothing wrong with... sitting and enjoying company."

"No there is not," Tick nodded and smiled, "I love it too, Arthur. I love justice and I love you, going on patrol with you is the perfect combination of the two."

Arthur stilled as Tick spoke, he wanted to smile but he stopped himself, swallowing hard. "What do you mean?"

"I said what I mean!" Tick chuckled, taking another caprisun from what Arthur now realised was a box behind the side table, he looked up at Arthur, smiling, "You should say what you mean too. You say the darndest things, Arthur. Your little head is full of wisdom."

"No, no I mean…" Arthur bit his lip, "Tick, y-you can't go around telling people you love them, when a guy says that," he shook his head, "People are going to assume things."

"People need to know!" Tick smiled widely, cupping his hands around his mouth, "I love justice and-"

"Tick!" Arthur snapped, holding his hand up, "Please, stop."

He let out a deep sigh, closing his eyes for a moment, planning out what he was going to say.

"Here's the thing, Arthur," Tick began before Arthur could. "I love sitting and talking to you, but you've barely talked tonight. Have you got something on your mind, chum?"

Arthur moved to sit down next to Tick on the sofa, "Tick…" he chewed his lip.

Tick turned in his seat to look Arthur up and down, his eyes narrowing and a small smile coming to his face, "I love watching you think."

Arthur closed his eyes, flinching a little, "Jeez, Tick, will you stop saying love."

"You said it first."

"Well yeah but, uh…" Arthur shook his head, "You know what it doesn't matter. Just please don't shout out that you-you love me. Ok?"

"Well why not?" Tick leant back in the chair, taking another drink, "I mean it."

"No, Tick, you don't," Arthur said firmly with a shake of his head.

Tick's antenna sagged a little with confusion, "... If you say so, Arthur."

He seemed to deflate a little in his chair, the movement twisting something in Arthur's chest.

"I-it's just," Arthur started, the twisted lump moving up into his throat, "People say that to people who they're dating, and we're not dating. I-I mean, you're not… We're not like that, right?"

"Not like what?"

Arthur blushed, "I-I- uh.." he nervously rubbed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose a little, "God, um… You're not _gay_ , Tick, we're not a _couple_ , we're not _dating_ , Tick."

"Oh" Tick smirked, or what Arthur would assume was a smirk, he felt the lump in his throat grow larger. "Ok, Arthur."

"Tick, we're not," Arthur stated clearly.

They weren't.

Arthur would know if they were.

He could feel himself getting angry, Tick had to be playing with him, though Arthur wasn't sure why he would, he never had before.

The look on the man's face.

"Tick, couples share a bed a-and kiss in public and have s-sex, we don't do that, we're not a couple." Arthur's voice pitch grew a little higher as he talked.

Tick frowned softly, "Oh… Well then what are we? I'm confused."

"We're friends, Tick… We're _friends_."

Tick nodded, "That we are."

They sat in silence for a moment, Arthur let out a soft sigh, thinking to himself.

Why had that made him angry?

"Do friends not tell each other they love each other?" Tick asked softly, genuinely confused.

Arthur huffed and shrugged, "Not male friends."

Tick huffed, shaking his head, the conversation confusing him more by the minute. "Why not? Why do girls get to say they love their friends but not guys?"

"They just don't Tick! Will you drop it? A-And don't say it again… Just drop it."

Tick nodded, "Ok." he smiled. Luckily over the past few months Tick had learnt that 'Just drop it' meant exactly that and Arthur would just stop talking unless he changed the subject. "Would you like another one of these bag-drinks?"

Arthur nodded, his chest sinking with relief, "Please…" He finally took the remote and put on the baking show they'd recorded.

They watched intently, or tried to, Arthur kept finding his attention turning to Tick, he looked happy enough but he felt like he'd said something he shouldn't have.

He'd told himself he'd be more open with his emotions, so what was he doing now?


End file.
